Monday, December 22, 2014

This is the time of year when we
depend on heat in our cars.For most of
us, the heat delivers on its design promise.For a few unfortunates, though, it doesn’t. The mechanic checks the coolant level, and
makes sure the thermostat is working as it should.If the engine is up to temperature the next
place to look is the heater control circuitry.When all else fails we are left with the possibility that the heater
core itself has failed.

Heater core replacement is the automotive equivalent of a root canal. It's ugly, painful, and costly but sometimes it has to be done.

Heater cores are like small
radiators that shed some of the engine’s heat into the passenger
compartment.There are two ways a heater
core can fail – by leaking or by clogging.Leaks are obvious because you’ve got coolant all over the floor.Clogged cores are more subtle.

Take a look at this core from a
2006 Land Rover LR3.There’s nothing
obviously wrong from outside, but when we cut the core open we saw a different
story.The whole far side of the core is
clogged.Only the left side of the core
remains open.

You might think that would cause
weak heat, but it actually created a different problem. This Land Rover – like
many other late model cars – has separate temperature controls for the driver
and passenger.The air that blows
through the core is sent to the left and right sides respectively, so with one
side clogged we had normal heat on the passenger side, and virtually no heat
for the driver.

This seemed like a control problem
but it wasn’t.When heater cores clog
the repair is often a big deal.In this
Land Rover the whole dash had to come out for repair, as you see.Jobs like this can run into multiple days of
labor, and cost thousands of dollars.And this is no place to cut corners looking for a low bid – this is
detailed work.Every fastener left
loose, and every broken bracket is a potential rattle.There are a hundred electrical connections,
and any that come loose are problems for tomorrow.This is work for someone who knows Rovers and
specializes in large interior repairs.

When a job like this is done there
will be faults in the airbag system and many other dash electronic
systems.The person who does the work
will need to have a factory-level test system to clear those faults and ensure
everything is working as it should.

At Robison Service we are proud to be known as
experts in repairs like this.Author
John Robison is a long time Land Rover service manager, and a technical advisor
to many Rover clubs.He’s written many
articles on Land Rover service – indexed here.

No Land Rovers were harmed in the
writing of this story, and environmentally friendly repair methods were used
throughout. We are located in Springfield, Massachusetts, where we stand ready to provide top-quality service and repair to owners of BMW, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Rolls-Royce and Bentley motorcars.

Wednesday, December 3, 2014

The ex-Buick V8 that Land Rover sold in America from 1987-2004 was never known for its reliability. However, things took a sharp turn for the worse in 2002, and the last Discovery engines appear to have been doomed from the start. Here are three articles about internal problems in the V8s:

What's the latest on top hat or flanged liners? This article tells all you want to know about the flanged liner overhaul

Discovery II models also have a problem with frame rust. We first began to see this in the spring of 2014, when we saw several trucks whose rear frames rusted right through over the winter. These vehicles seemed more vulnerable to rust than the earlier models. Read this article to find out why, and what you can do about it.

John Elder Robison is the founder of J E Robison Service, independent Land Rover specialists in Springfield, MA. John's shop has supported Land Rover owners since 1987. They are experienced at all aspects of service, repair, overhaul and restoration. Find Robison Service online at www.robisonservice.com or on the phone at 413-785-1665.

We are open from 8-5, Monday through Friday. There is a key drop in the front garage door for people who leave cars after hours.

We are New England's leading four-star authorized Bosch Car Service facility. Owner John Robison is a technical consultant to the Rolls Royce and Bentley owner clubs, the Land Rover club, and the BMW and Mercedes clubs. We're tech inspectors for the Porsche Club of America for regional track events. John's writing appears in many automotive magazines.